Being one of the richest people in the country seemingly makes you an inviting target for nefarious types who want to separate you from your money.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, who made his billions by starting Facebook (FB), he is the latest target of just such a scheme.
According to a report from CNN Money, Zuckerberg is currently embroiled in a legal battle over land adjacent to his California home.
From the CNN Money report:
Mircea Voskerician, a real estate developer who had owned the rights to property adjoining Zuckerberg's backyard in 2012, had planned to start construction on a new mansion, according to court documents. Instead, Voskerician offered to sell his interest in the land so the Facebook CEO could gain more privacy.
Zuckerberg reportedly made an offer to Voskerician, but he rejected Zuckerberg’s initial offer of $250,000.
Again from the CNN Money report:
After receiving a $4.3 million offer from another developer, Voskerician met with Zuckerberg's financial advisors.
That's when things got messy. At the meeting, Voskerician says he offered Zuckerberg a discount, in exchange for introducing him to his Silicon Valley network of friends and associates and providing referrals to help boost his business.
The two parties apparently agreed to a deal, but Voskerician claims that Zuckerberg reneged on his promises to provide referrals. Zuckerberg says he never made any such promises and calls the claims an extortion attempt.
Voskerician sued Zuckerberg and now it may be up to the courts to decide Zuckerberg’s fate.
At least he’s no stranger to litigation.
